[EVENT RECAP] 500+ Shows at Musikfest 2016

Most festivals can’t boast a 900,000 attendance with over 500 shows taking place for 10 days. The Pennsylvania based Musikfest has these numbers under its belt, and the festival hosted by Artsquest continues to grow each year. Located in Bethlehem, roughly an hour and a half away from Mountain Productions’ premises, Musikfest takes place by the iconic Steel Stacks of Bethlehem, and has multiple stages hosting local and nationally recognized musical talent. In addition to great music, Musikfest hosts a variety of food vendors, art, and fun activities for the whole family. Musikfest offers both free and ticketed shows, which attracts huge crowds every day of the festival. This year, Mountain Productions’ main stage at Musikfest hosted Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Antebellum, and The Avett Brothers, while our side stages saw hundreds of acts take the spotlight each day and night.

Sands Steel Stage – Main Stage Hercules Grid

Mountain Productions has a long history with Musikfest, and has proudly been providing staging services and equipment for over 20 years. Our classic Hercules Grid System has stood as the main stage for many years now, and our crew returned to Bethlehem this year to build the Hercules Grid again as Musikfest’s Sands Steel Stage. This scaffold system supported an 80’ wide x 48’ deep roof grid with 24’ wide audio bays. Each scaffold audio bay stood roughly 60’ tall.

The entranceway leading to the main stage provided a spot platform for the show as well as branding opportunities for the festival. The entranceway was a 34’ wide structure with a 20’ wide opening that stood 33’ tall. Additionally, a mix position, loading dock and ramp, audience stairs, and ADA platforms supported the main stage area.

Further down the Steel Stacks, Mountain Productions built three side stages: The Liederplatz Stage, Hotel Bethlehem Stage, and Main Street Stage. These smaller stages were efficient to build and fit perfectly as supporting stages to the Hercules Grid main stage. Like all of our systems, these side stages featured three-sided weather protection.

The annual Musikfest event holds a close place in Mountain Productions’ heart, and we’re proud to be involved in this groundbreaking event. This year, leighvalleylive.com caught a great time-lapse video of the Sands Steel Stage build, showing the entire build in less than three minutes. Check it out below!